The Otsu Festival, one of Shiga Prefecture's three major traditional festivals, was held in Otsu City on October 11th, featuring a procession of 13 elaborately decorated floats carrying traditional mechanical puppets through the streets, following the festival's addition to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December last year. (News On Japan)

Japan is expected to experience a warmer-than-normal winter as the El Nino phenomenon currently affecting the Pacific Ocean has reached its strongest level on record, with the Japan Meteorological Agency announcing on October 10th that unusually high sea surface temperatures are likely to persist through the coming winter months. (News On Japan)

Two men were killed and eight others injured in separate accidents involving traditional danjiri festival floats in Osaka Prefecture on October 10, including one incident in which a float overturned while making a sharp turn, crushing a participant beneath it. (News On Japan)

Construction of an underground tunnel for Japan's Linear Chuo Shinkansen in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward is expected to remain suspended for at least another six months after damage was discovered in several components of a large tunnel boring machine, according to Central Japan Railway (JR Central). (News On Japan)

Police in Saitama Prefecture are urging hikers to submit climbing plans before heading into the mountains during the busy autumn recreational season, after nearly 80% of people involved in mountain emergencies this year were found to have failed to file the necessary information. (News On Japan)

The Konosu Fireworks Festival, one of Japan's largest fireworks events, set a Guinness World Record for the number of consecutive large-shell fireworks launched on October 10, as approximately 20,000 fireworks illuminated the autumn night sky over Konosu City in Saitama Prefecture. (News On Japan)

Corporate bankruptcies caused by labor shortages in Japan reached a record 240 cases in the first half of the current fiscal year, highlighting the growing financial strain on small businesses as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledges to protect household livelihoods through economic growth while pursuing consumption tax cuts that could place additional pressure on the restaurant industry. (News On Japan)

Physical fitness among Japanese women in their 30s and 40s has been declining, according to the Sports Agency's fiscal 2025 Physical Fitness and Athletic Ability Survey, with experts pointing to the disproportionate burden of housework and childcare as a major factor limiting opportunities for exercise. (News On Japan)

The leaders, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, had been detained when they arrived in Delhi on Saturday.

The White House had blocked access for CNN, MS Now and Politico, leading them to restrict pool coverage.

The White House had blocked access for CNN, MS Now and Politico, leading them to restrict pool coverage.

Film-maker Sue Kim talks about having unprecedented access to K-Pop idol Lisa Manobal at her most candid.

Roofs were ripped off buildings after Isaias barrelled into the US on Friday evening, before it weakened to a post-tropical cyclone.

A desperate junta is in a war of attrition against ethnic militias and and civilian resistance.

A desperate junta is in a war of attrition against ethnic militias and and civilian resistance.

Volodymyr Zelensky says the attack, which left children dead, was Russia expressing its "thanks" for a US diesel deal.

The US president's said President Volodymyr Zelensky "wants to make problems for the world".

Isaias made landfall in Florida on late Friday before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone.

The team en route to the suspected crash site aim finally to solve the mystery of her 1937 disappearance.

The team en route to the suspected crash site aim finally to solve the mystery of her 1937 disappearance.